Continents-South America 6/7/05 1:37 PM Page 1 Erinn Banting

Transcription

1 Erinn Banting

2 Published by Weigl Publishers Inc th Avenue, Suite 3304, PMB 6G New York, NY USA Web site: Copyright 2006 WEIGL PUBLISHERS INC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Weigl Publishers Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Banting, Erinn. South America / Erinn Banting. p. cm. -- (Continents) Includes index. ISBN South America--Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Continents (New York, N.Y.) F B dc All of the Internet URLs given in the book were valid at the time of publication. However, due to the dynamic nature of the Internet, some addresses may have changed, or sites may have ceased to exist since publication. While the author and publisher regret any inconvenience this may cause readers, no responsibility for any such changes can be accepted by either the author or the publisher. Project Coordinator Heather C. Hudak Copy Editor Tina Schwartzenberger Designer Terry Paulhus Layout Gregg Muller Kathryn Livingstone Photo Researcher Kim Winiski Printed in the United States of America Photograph Credits Every reasonable effort has been made to trace ownership and to obtain permission to reprint copyright material. The publishers would be pleased to have any errors or omissions brought to their attention so that they may be corrected in subsequent printings. Cover: Torres del Paine National Park in Chile covers 447,529 acres (181,000 hectares) of land. It is open to tourists and South Americans year round. (Getty Images/Photographer s Choice/Eduardo Garcia) Credits: Getty Images: pages 1 (Photographer s Choice/Eduardo Garcia), 4 5 (Taxi), 6L (The Image Bank/JH Pete Carmichael), 6TR (Taxi/Luis Rosendo), 6BR (Brand X Pictures/Philip Coblentz), 8 (The Image Bank/Geoffrey Clifford), 9 (The Image Bank/Joseph Van Os), 10 (National Geographic/Joel Sartore), 11T (Andre Felipe), 11B (National Geographic/Joel Sartore), 12L (AFP/Vanderlei Almedia), 12R (Stone/Robert Frerck), 13T (National Geographic/Kenneth Garrett), 13B (National Geographic/Jason Edwards), 14L (Taxi/Eduardo Garcia), 14R (Stone/Aldo Brando), 15 (Time Life Pictures/Mirek Towski), 16 (Kean Collection), 17L (Henry Guttmann), 17R (Stock Montage), 18 (Hulton Archive), 19 (Time Life Pictures/Mansell), 20 (Taxi/Eduardo Garcia), 21 (Photodisc Green/Adalberto Rios Szalay/Sexto Sol), 22 (Digital Vision), 23L (Photographer s Choice/Donald Nausbaum), 23R (Oscar Sabetta), 24B (Stone/Glen Allison), 24T (Liason/Piero Pomponi), 25 (Alexander Tamargo), 26 (AFP/Rodrigo Arangua), 27T (Allsport/Mike Hewitt), 27B (AFP/Jean-Loup Gautreau), 28 (Taxi/Alan Kearney), 29T (National Geographic/Maria Stenzel), 29B (FoodPix/John E. Kelly), 31 (The Image Bank/Joseph Van Os).

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction... 4 South America... 6 Location and Resources Land and Climate... 8 Plants and Animals Natural Resources Economy Tourism Industry Goods and Services The Past Indigenous Peoples The Age of Exploration Early Settlers Culture Population Politics and Government Cultural Groups Arts and Entertainment Sports Brain Teasers For More Information Glossary Index... 32

4 South America Fast Facts South America is the fourth-largest continent in the world. Asia, Africa, and North America are larger. The continent is divided into twelve countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. France, a country in Europe, owns French Guiana, a region located in northeastern South America. Brazil is South America s largest country. It covers nearly one-quarter of the continent s surface. Suriname is the smallest country. The most populated city in South America is São Paulo, Brazil. Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city in Argentina. The city is Argentina s major trading center. South America is home to the world s largest rain forest, the Amazon Rain Forest. It covers more than 2 million square miles (5 million square kilometers) and stretches from the Andes to Brazil. More than 3,000 orchid species grow in Ecuador. 6

5 South American Continent Map PANAMA C a r i b b e a n S e a MARTINIQUE SAINT LUCIA NICARAGUA ARUBA NETHERLANDS ANTILLES SAINT VINCET AND THE GRENADINES BARBADOS GRENADA COSTA RICA Isthmus of Panama Rio Orinoco TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO A t l a n t i c O c e a n Rio Magdalena COLOMBIA VENEZUELA Rio Orinoco GUYANA SURINAME FRENCH GUIANA Rio Negro ECUADOR Gulf of Guayaquil P E R U Parinas Point P e r u C h i l e T r e n c h P e r u Andes Mountains A m a z o n Amazon R. Rio Jurua Rio Madre de Dios Rio Purus Amazon R. BOLIVIA Lake Titicaca Rio Madeira Rio Tapajos Rio Teles Pires Mato Grosso Plateau Amazon R. Rio Xingu Rio Xingu Rio Araguaia BRAZIL Rio Araguaia Rio Tocantins Rio Tocantins Rio Sao Francisco C h i l e P a c i fi c O c e a n Taitao Penninsula P e r u C h i l e T r e n c h Andes Mountains Atacama Desert CHILE Cerro Aconcagua P a t a g o n i a Gulf of San Jorge PARAGUAY ARGENTINA P a m p a s Rio Parana Gulf of San Matias Valdes Penninsula Rio Paraguay Rio Parana FALKLAND ISLANDS Rio Uruguay U R U G U A Y Rio Parana A r g e n t i n e Cabo Frio A t l a n t i c O c e a n Strait of Magellan MILES SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND KILOMETERS

6 Location and Resources Land and Climate South America stretches more than 6,880,500 square miles (17,819,000 sq km) of land. The Andes Mountains extend 4,500 miles (7,242 km) along the continent s western coast. These mountains are sometimes called the backbone of South America because they run along the entire coast, from Venezuela in the north to Cape Horn in the south. South America has three main geographic regions. The Guiana and Brazilian Highlands make up the eastern region. This highland region is made up of ancient mountain ranges that wind and rain eroded over time. The Andes region includes the mountain range with the same name. The large region in the center of the continent is called the central plains. The plains are divided into five areas the Ilanos, the Selvas, the Gran Chaco, The Atacama Desert forms part of the South American shoreline. 8

7 the Pampas, and Patagonia. The Amazon, Orinoco, and Río de la Plata Rivers crisscross the land and provide water to the farms and forests that cover the plains. South America s climate varies from the tropical regions in the north to the frozen landscapes in the south. Much of South America is located south of the equator. The area around the equator is the warmest land on Earth. As a result, the climate becomes cooler the farther south a person travels. Earthquakes are a shaking or trembling of Earth s surface. They are caused by rock, lava, or hot gas moving deep inside Earth. Earthquakes are common in South America. In mountainous regions, earthquakes often cause landslides. During a landslide, earth, Fast Facts Tierra del Fuego, which means land of fire, is one the coldest places in South America. Spanish explorers named the island after seeing indigenous peoples fires burning brightly on the shores. The tallest peak in South America is Mount Aconcagua, in Argentina. The peak is 22,834 feet (6,960 meters) tall. The Andes Mountains are filled with steep canyons and tall plateaus. A plateau is a large, flat area of land. Some plateaus are very large. The Altiplano Plateau in western Bolivia is the same size as the state of New York. More than 50 peaks in the Andes Mountains are higher than 21,325 feet (6,500 m). The Atacama Desert in Chile receives less rain than any other place in the world. trees, and even people s homes slide down the sides of steep cliffs. The Toco toucan is one of many birds that can be found in South America s Iguaçu Falls National Park. Some high peaks in the Andes are covered in snow throughout the year. 9